Sean Penn Describes The Revenant as a Masterpiece, Compares it to Apocalypse Now
Sean Penn, who worked alongside director Alejandro G. Inarritu on 21 Grams a number of years back, has opened up on his thoughts regarding The Revenant, and its importance today amongst an over-saturated market of sequels and comic book titles.
Penn was Inarritu's first choice to play antagonist John Fitzgerald, the role that has instead gone to Tom Hardy (which isn't such a bad replacement). Despite that, Penn was privileged to watch the film with Alejandro and four others before its limited media release.
"I thought it was a masterpiece," Penn said. "I don't think I've had an experience in a movie theater as a kind of stepping cinema forward like that since I saw Apocalypse Now.
"To see what happens when bold producers support a bold director who is such an artist on that level with great actors like that - I was compelled throughout."
"...another thing that I was marveling at watching the movie: what Leonardo DiCaprio put himself through." He mentioned that he doesn't believe the film lost anything for his rejection of the role, describing Hardy in it as "extraordinary".
"The Revenant isn't a franchise film. It is what I grew up loving about cinema. Am I worried about the business? I don't even understand where the business is... It's hard to say what will happen, and whether the brilliance of the film will be rewarded relative to its costs. I'd like to think we're a culture that values its art enough to recognize we need this."
The Revenant opens December 25 in the US.
Source: Variety
